


Sunshower

by credens_justitiam



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Meet-Cute, Pining
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:41:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26187358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/credens_justitiam/pseuds/credens_justitiam
Summary: Nagito looked at him strangely. A bunch of different feelings swirled around in him, like reactants mixed together in a cauldron. Confusion featured the most prominently, followed by gratitude and curiosity. Who was this courier, and why was he helping Nagito so much? He couldn’t remember the last time a stranger interacted with him this extensively.My piece for the komahina secret exchange on tumblr! I chose Fantasy AU as my prompt
Relationships: Hinata Hajime/Komaeda Nagito
Comments: 6
Kudos: 40





	Sunshower

**Author's Note:**

> so you may have noticed there's going to be another chapter. I intended to leave things off where I did but I realized the potential for more was really good, so I'm definitely planning to write more for this in the future! it's just going to take a while, since school's starting for me soon and 10k was already kind of a lot to work through, haha... 
> 
> at any rate, I hope my piece is satisfactory!

The cobblestone streets that surrounded the potion shop were paved with smooth gray stones that grew warm with the light of the morning sun. Small gusts of wind pulled at Nagito’s hair and whipped it around this way and that. He tightened his grip on the crates of ingredients he held in his arms, not wanting to drop them.

_I should’ve brought the cart with me,_ he thought to himself as the fabric covering of the ingredients flapped in the wind, which sometimes obscured his vision. Though it was a rickety old thing, it would have at least freed one of his hands and left his sight clear. Regardless, his shop was just around the corner, so all he had to do was take a few more steps without falling—

“Hey!”

_Crash!_

One moment Nagito was rounding the corner on both feet, the next he was on his rear on the hard cobblestone. His hands stung from where the wooden crates scraped against them. He was about to worry whether he had splinters when he realized the precious ingredients he was carrying were no longer in his hands. 

Precious, and _highly volatile_ ingredients that should be kept separate and not spilled all over the streets. Nagito watched in horror as a greenish liquid trickled towards some bright yellow powder. He extended a hand towards it helplessly. “No—!”

Instantly the mixture exploded in a multicolor flash of light and heat. Nagito barely shielded his face in time as the blast singed the tips of his hair. He blinked away the spots in his vision and surveyed the last remaining wisps of white smoke with a small expression of defeat. He was supposed to use those ingredients (separately) for today’s orders… 

But he didn’t have the time to lament over the waste when a gruff voice asked, “woah, are you okay?”

Nagito looked up to see a hand extended in front of him. Without thinking, he took it, biting back a hiss as he stood; a stinging pain came the cuts on his hands and a throbbing pain from his backside. When he was pulled to his feet, the sight of sharp-looking hazel eyes and even sharper looking brown hair stilled his tongue. 

The features in question belonged to a young man around his age and of similar height, though judging from the strong grip exuded by his hands, Nagito was inclined to think he was decently stronger than himself. He had a white shirt, light brown pants, and a large bag slung around his shoulder. Though he dressed on the plainer side, Nagito found his disposition to be rather charming.

The stranger spoke again. “Hey, I asked you a question. Are you okay? That looked like it hurt.”

“Oh, I, um—” Nagito stammered, realizing he was staring for much longer than appropriate. Out of all the inopportune moments to be tongue-tied, he had to do so in front of this good-looking stranger. He laughed his nervousness off (why was he nervous all the sudden?) with a wave of his hand. 

“I’m right as rain, honestly, no need to worry about me! I’m more concerned about the stuff I dropped.”

“Right, sorry about that.” The stranger rubbed the back of his neck. “Didn’t mean to run into you.”

Nagito pressed his lips into a smile. “Like I said, no worries. I’m just going to, um, gather this stuff up now.”

He knelt on shaky legs—another product of his sudden, strange nervousness— gingerly surveying what was spilled. To his surprise, the stranger lowered himself to the ground as well.

“It’s the least I can do,” the stranger cut in, right as Nagito opened his mouth to protest. Had it been anyone else, Nagito still would’ve protested, but the stranger just had this steady presence that dried whatever words he had in his throat.

Thus the two of them gathered up the ingredients in silence. Nagito ached to say something more, but for some reason his mouth wouldn’t cooperate with him. But that should’ve been fine, right? Because cleaning things up wasn’t a task that required conversation. The stranger would help him for a few more minutes then be on his merry way. Still, a voice whispered in the back of his brain telling him to make conversation, growing more urgent as the silence stretched between them more and more. 

When Nagito couldn’t bear it anymore, he went, “so—”

“Say, I was—” the stranger began at the same time. “What?” 

“Huh?” Nagito blinked. “Oh, sorry, you—you go first.”

“I was wondering what these ingredients were. They looked kind of dangerous,” the stranger remarked. “Since they exploded and everything.”

“Dangerous?” Nagito let out a surprised chuckle. “Oh, well, I see why you’d think that way. But separately they're useful in brewing potions.”

“Brewing potions?” the stranger echoed. “Then, are you Komaeda Nagito? The witch at the end of Hemlock Way?”

Nagito had no idea he had such a title, but nonetheless he nodded. “That’d be me,” he said. “Were you looking for my shop?”

The stranger nodded. He patted a large messenger bag against his side. “Yeah. I’m a courier, actually. I’m here to pick up and drop off some commissions for you.”

“Ah, what a coincidence.” Nagito laughed a bit. “Our paths were destined to cross, but then something like this happened so we met just a few minutes before we were fated to.”

The courier’s mouth quirked up in a rather wry way. “Yeah…? I’m not a huge believer in fate but I guess that’s one way to look at it.”

Something about the courier’s reply made Nagito wonder if he said something weird, but he pushed worry aside for the time being. Now that he gathered all his ingredients and had a courier standing in front of him with commissions in hand, he had to get down to business. He dusted himself off, braced himself and picked up the crates. He tilted his head towards the stairs that led to the potion shop.

“My shop’s just up these stairs. Follow me.”

As Nagito was taking his first step, the courier stopped him. “Uh, are you sure you want to go up the stairs holding all those crates? I could carry some of that.”

“I wouldn’t want to trouble you. You helped me gather up my mess, and you’re already carrying that messenger bag of yours,” Nagito started, but suddenly the weight in his arms became a lot lighter. “Wait, what are you—”

Despite Nagito’s protests, the courier took several crates into his arms (more than half of the items, Nagito realized). “It’s the least I can do. It’d be too troublesome if you dropped these again, right?”

Nagito looked at him strangely. A bunch of different feelings swirled around in him, like reactants mixed together in a cauldron. Confusion featured the most prominently, followed by gratitude and curiosity. Who was this courier, and why was he helping Nagito so much? He couldn’t remember the last time a stranger interacted with him this extensively. 

“‘It’s the least I can do…’ You said that already,” he murmured absently.

The courier turned and stopped just a few steps away from the shop. “What?”

Nagito grew embarrassed; he let his thoughts spill out into the open again. He stammered out, “a-ah, nothing, just talking to myself.” Quickly, in order to divert attention away from his ramblings, he shoved a hand into his apron pocket. “We’re here, let me get my keys.”

Fishing his keys out, he stepped around the courier and stuck the right key into the lock. The bell above the door jingled cheerfully as the courier held it open with his body. “After you.”

The courier gave him a gruff “thanks” and went inside. He set the crates down upon the counter next to the potted plants, then unfastened his messenger bag. He pulled out several leaves of paper and passed them across the counter. “So, here are the new commissions I was talking about.”

“Okay,” Nagito said.

“As for the previous orders, do you have ready the bottle of sleeping elixir, the eau du ciel, and a nightshade draught?”

Nagito nodded eagerly. He stooped beneath the counter and pulled out three separate bottles wrapped in paper, tied off and tagged with the insignia of his shop. “Yes, right here.”

“Alright, I’ll be taking these then.” The courier stowed them away in his bag, then gave Nagito a polite nod. “Have a good day.”

For some reason, seeing the courier’s broad back turn and leave set Nagito’s nerves alight. As he turned and began to exit, Nagito called out to the courier. “Ah, wait a second!”

The courier turned and gave him a look, one foot already outside the door. “What? I’m in a hurry,” he said, with a note of mild irritation in his voice. 

Nagito swallowed; when the courier looked at him like that, he felt he could see into his very soul. But that was ridiculous, no kind of magic existed for that to happen. It was just as ridiculous as the feelings that suddenly welled up within him and made him loathe the idea of seeing the courier leave his shop.

Nagito asked, “will I be seeing you again?”

“...Yes?” came the courier’s reply. “I have to give you payment for your commissions and pick up the new orders.”

Nagito laughed airily, feeling embarrassed. That was a stupid question. Of course the courier would be here again to do his job. Still, he tried to save face, even though there was no doubt in his mind that the courier saw him as a fool now. 

“Oh, right. I was just wondering because I’ve never seen you do the deliveries before. You wouldn’t happen to know Souda-kun, would you?”

Souda was the name of the courier who had been doing deliveries in the area and often came to Nagito’s shop to do business there. Nagito considered him a friend, though they never went past being acquaintances outside of work. 

At the mention of Souda’s name, the courier barked out a single dry laugh. “Yeah, that’s my coworker. He’s focusing on completing his apprenticeship now, so I’m stepping in for him.”

“Ah, yes, he did mention that. He always did have a talent for artillery. An admirable field, indeed.” Nagito hummed, tapping his fingers against the counter. “Well, if you see him, say hello to him for me.”

“Sure.” A beat of silence passed, with the courier’s foot still hanging out the door. Suddenly it was as if the world slowed to a halt, with Nagito wanting the conversation to continue but knowing that he would just be wasting the courier’s time if he tried. The look on the courier’s face told him as such. He was lingering in the door, as if waiting to be dismissed, with an odd expression.

A while passed, with Nagito still saying nothing. He wasn’t the most savvy of people, but even Nagito knew that this situation was the awkwardest encounter he ever had in his shop. Maybe this was fate’s way of punishing him for meeting the courier before he was supposed to.

Finally the courier went, “I’m going now.”

Then he turned and did just that. Nagito peered through the curtains of his shop’s window and watched the courier’s retreating form as he made his way down the cobblestone streets. Just as Nagito was about to return to his business, the courier turned around and looked at him, making full eye contact as he did so. Even from a distance Nagito could feel his piercing stare.

“Oh!” he said to no one (he was alone in his shop, after all). Flustered at having been caught, Nagito quickly drew the curtains closed. But then he felt the slightest bit guilty for closing the curtains on the courier—wasn’t that rude, shutting him out like that after Nagito stared so shamelessly after him? Nagito parted the curtains once more to look out onto the street.

He peered curiously outward, searching for the courier again. In the split second that he drew the curtains closed, however, the courier had vanished. And that was a given, of course; he said he had other business to attend to. How presumptuous of Nagito to assume he’d dawdle more than necessary.

Nagito laughed airily to himself. He had been exceptionally rude today: bumping into him, making him carry his ingredients, and keeping him with pointless conversation for longer than was proper. To top it all off— 

“I didn’t even ask for his name.”

* * *

The next time Nagito met the courier, Nagito was leaving the shop to go to Evershift Forest to forage for more ingredients (he had to replenish some of the stuff he dropped so clumsily the other day, after all). The courier was coming up the steps just as Nagito was about to lock up his shop. 

Nagito waved. “Good morning! Are you here to pick up the new orders?”

The courier nodded. He was dressed in the same clothes as last time. “Yeah, and to bring you your payment. But it looks like you’re heading out right now?”

Nagito chuckled. “I realized I ran out of some ingredients so I need to go forage for some more. I’d go to the marketplace but it’s closed today, so I’m heading to the forest.”

Then, because apparently he hadn’t learned his lesson last time, his mouth moved before he could think. “Why don’t you come along with me? It won’t take long.”

“What? Go with you?” the courier asked. “Can’t I just take the finished orders and go?”

Nagito chuckled again, more sheepishly this time. “Ah, unfortunately, the orders aren’t finished. They still need their finishing touches before they’re ready, and I ran out of those ingredients earlier than I thought I would.”

“Are you talking about when I ran into you?” the courier asked, hitting the nail right on the head.

Well, it was because of that, but it was still Nagito’s fault for walking in such a busy place with his vision half-obscured. So Nagito just laughed it off, because that’s what he always did. “Ah, don’t worry about that.”

Perhaps that was the wrong answer, because the courier’s brows furrowed in intense thought. Sensing exasperation from him, Nagito quickly went, “but I promise it won’t take long, just twenty minutes at the most. Evershift is a tricky place, but I’m pretty good at finding what I need there. So can I ask you to stay here while I go?”

The courier snorted. “Before you were asking if I wanted to come with you. Now you want me to stay here and wait. Which is it?”

“Oh, well,” Nagito floundered. Even though Nagito was sure he was frustrated at having to wait, the courier’s tone was level and the look in his eyes was not unkind. If anything, it was understanding. And that’s what Nagito didn’t understand. Despite everything that had happened, despite his clumsiness and his delay, the courier was being remarkably patient with him. Nagito sincerely hoped that he wasn’t making the courier lose business.

“How about you come with me? You have to wait for me to finish anyways, and the forest is a prettier place to wait at than the shop.”

Amazingly, the courier nodded. “Sure. But the shop itself doesn’t look bad.”

Nagito followed the courier’s line of sight towards the planter underneath the windowsill, the same window that Nagito had unceremoniously drawn the curtains closed on several days ago. Small green plants had sprouted there, and though they were growing healthily from being treated with Nagito’s homebrewed fertilizer, they still weren't ready to be harvested for about another month. 

“Your plants are pretty nice. Do you take care of them yourself?”

“Ah, thank you. Yes, those are some herbs I planted a week ago,” Nagito replied, flattered. Few people had ever said anything so nice about his shop. He took this as a sign that the courier wanted to stay in the shop. 

“If you’re interested in looking around my shop more, I’d be happy to leave you a key. Though I’ll ask that you don’t touch anything; some of the stuff can be very dangerous if handled incorrectly. You saw what happened a few days ago.”

Nagito didn’t mean it that way, but it sounded like he was insinuating that the courier would mess things up in his shop if left unattended. Having realized what he was implying, Nagito raised an apologetic hand and began to backtrack. 

“Not that I think you’d be as clumsy as I am and drop everything. I’m just saying this as a precaution.”

The courier looked at him strangely, head tilted to the side and lips parted like he was struggling to find the right words to scold him with. Nagito was getting rather accustomed to the look; he must have said something wrong again. It was different from how Souda treated him—Souda was usually much faster to call him out on his weirdness. Not that Nagito ever thought Souda was wrong for doing so, but he appreciated that this courier was much more courteous to Nagito than probably he deserved.

He said, “you’d leave me a key? You’re saying you’re taking a precaution, but I don’t know how giving a stranger a key is cautious.”

“I suppose it isn’t, though you seem like a trustworthy person,” Nagito said, smiling lightly. “But you don’t want to waste your time with someone like me, then I’d be happy to let you stay here.”

The courier shook his head. “No thanks, I already agreed to go with you.” 

Then, he gestured towards the forest with a pointed look. Despite being the one accepting Nagito’s invitation to follow him into the forest, the courier began walking down the stairs first. 

“Come on, weren’t you the one who said it wouldn’t take long?

Nagito nodded and quickly followed after him. “Ah, right.” 

* * *

The cobblestone road ended just a few paces from Nagito’s shop. As they walked onto the dirt path that led into Evershift Forest, the courier spoke. “What are you looking for?”

“I have a few things in mind that I need, like aurum leaves, though I’ll pick up anything we come across if it seems useful,” Nagito answered.

Doubt filled the courier’s features. “You… sound like you’re not sure of what you’re getting.”

“Well, I can’t be. Haven’t you been to Evershift Forest before? It’s one this area’s top places to visit, along with the marketplace.”

When the courier shook his head, Nagito began to explain.

“Evershift Forest earned its namesake for being an ever-shifting place. At random intervals the inner parts of the forest would shimmer like a mirage. People who explored between the gaps of the trees might find themselves in the middle of a lake or near the maws of a beast if they happened to walk into a section that changed in this way. So there’s no telling what we’ll find while we’re here.”

The forest’s fluid nature made it simultaneously a good source to find ingredients as well as an unreliable one, as one could find an abundance of their needed ingredient one time but not find it again for hours or even weeks. However unpredictable the forest was, the rare flora and fauna that could be found within the forest’s confines drew magic users and thrillseekers alike. Nagito was solidly in the former camp, as he didn’t favor having to run away from the forest creatures.

“There’s supposed to be a pattern we can follow in order to find the exit. I’m usually pretty good at finding them, but sometimes you have to wander for a few hours in order to get out.”

The courier looked pale from Nagito’s explanation. “Hours? So you’re just relying on luck to find what you need?”

“More or less,” Nagito admitted. “It might sound tedious, but it’s a remarkable opportunity for me to get potent ingredients I wouldn’t think to look for otherwise.”

His answer visibly frustrated the courier. “What happened to just needing twenty minutes? Forget it, I’m gonna head back and do some other orders first while you figure this out.”

He turned around to where they came and squawked. Nagito looked over his shoulder to see that the forest’s path had already changed; no longer could he see the entrance to the forest. Though he felt bad for laughing at the courier’s shock, he couldn’t help a few breathy giggles from leaving his mouth.

“Sorry for not telling you this earlier, I thought you already knew. Are you not from this area?” 

The courier shook his head. “No, that’s why I wasn’t assigned to work here before. I never knew a place like this existed.”

“Oh, well now you do!” Nagito said cheerily. “But like I said before, I’m pretty good at navigating through here. I meant it when I said we shouldn’t be here for longer than twenty minutes.”

“Okay…” The courier looked hardly convinced. “Well, whether you’re right or not, I guess we should stick together for the time being.”

Nagito felt worry prickle up his spine. Perhaps inviting the courier here was the wrong move; he must’ve made a bad impression on him if he thought Nagito would go off without him. “Of course, I’d never abandon you here.”

After he said that, they walked in silence for a bit. Normally Nagito was fine with not talking for a bit, but something about the courier made him run his mouth. Besides, while they were here, there were a few things Nagito could get off his chest.

So he started conversationally, “by the way, I never got your name.”

“Mine? I’m Hinata Hajime.” He walked in tandem with Nagito, matching his stride. “I’m late in saying this, but uh, nice meeting you. Hope we can work well together, once we get out of here.”

“Hinata-kun.” The way his name felt in his mouth was almost familiar, though it’s not as if they met before. “Well, you know my name already, but it’s only proper that I introduce myself too. I’m Komaeda Nagito. It’s been a pleasure being with you.”

“Yeah.” Hinata nodded. To Nagito’s delight, he continued the conversation further. “What got you into potion making? The people I’ve spoken to around here refer to you as the witch at the end of Hemlock Way, so it sounds like you’re pretty good at it.”

“That’s a bit embarrassing. I didn’t even know people called me that.” Nagito gave a small laugh. “My innate magic isn’t anything special, but I specialized in potion-making in school. It was the one thing I was good at, and after my parents died, I decided to continue it and opened my own shop with my inheritance.”

As Nagito recounted his experiences, Hinata grew quiet. “Oh. Damn. Sorry to make you talk about your parents. I know that my words right now don’t really mean anything, but…”

“Don’t be sorry,” Nagito reassured him. “In fact, I’m glad you cared enough to ask, Hinata-kun.”

Another funny look flitted across Hinata’s face, but before Nagito could comment upon it, the forest around them shimmered. Not wanting to be separated by the changes, Nagito grabbed onto Hinata’s shoulder. 

“Careful, pay attention to our surroundings,” he warned. But just as he gave Hinata that warning, Nagito couldn’t help but feel distracted by the way Hinata’s shoulder filled his hand. His shoulder was broad and felt sturdy in his grip. It was rather unexpected; perhaps Hinata was the type of person to look slimmer when dressed. He was also warm despite being in the shade and only wearing short sleeves. By contrast, Nagito had an apron layered over his long-sleeved shirt, yet he was always cold.

As quickly as the forest began to shift, it stopped, and Nagito found them standing in a bright patch of sunlight. Nagito blinked at the sudden influx of light, temporarily blinded. For a few moments, the only thing he could perceive was the sound of birdsong—that’s how Nagito knew the forest had changed for sure, as he didn’t hear any birds before. When his eyes finally adjusted, he took stock of their surroundings.

Above them, the trees’ branches parted in a small circle, where the morning sunlight streamed onto them from above. A ring of bushes surrounded them, bearing all sorts of fruits. Small butterflies of every color flitted from flower to flower. Some of the flowers towered over them, bright yellow and reaching towards the sky. From the corner of his eye, Nagito spotted the source of the birdsong: a few birds with rainbow wings and glimmering eyes were perched in the branches, singing to each other.

As beautiful as everything was, Nagito figured he should probably check to see if Hinata was holding up okay from the sudden changes. Nagito knew from experience that Evershift Forest was a disorienting place to be in, especially the first few times it shifted. So Nagito turned his head and looked.

But when he did, he felt his breath catch in his throat. The way the light poured onto Hinata was indescribable: the sunlight turned his normally brown hair into golden spires, while his hazel eyes glowed almost supernaturally. The shadows the light made on his jawline stood out starkly from the collar of his white shirt. His skin shone in the light. Idly, Nagito wondered if Hinata often spent time in the sun, considering that he was tanner than himself.

Nagito also wondered if he’d get to see Hinata in the sun like this more often. Because Hinata was, in a word, beautiful. The likes of which Nagito has never seen before.

As if picking up on Nagito’s thoughts, Hinata turned and fixed him with another weird look, though he seemed more self-conscious than critical. “What are you looking at?”

Feeling heat rising to his face that wasn’t caused by the sun’s warmth, Nagito chuckled nervously. “Ahaha, pardon my staring. I just haven’t seen the forest like this before, that’s all.”

That was partially true; the forest usually never looked the same twice. The untrue part came from the fact that moments ago, Nagito was staring unabashedly at Hinata the way a child did at a candy store. Not that Nagito considered Hinata to be shallow eye candy, goodness no; if anything, Hinata was rather plain-looking, yet Nagito felt a strange kinship with him that made him extend an invitation to go into the forest and ask for his name in the first place. 

It wasn’t until Hinata stepped away from him awkwardly did Nagito realize he had been holding onto his shoulder still. Hinata cleared his throat and spoke in a bit of a gruff voice.

“So, can you find what you need here? Or do we have to wait for the forest to change again?”

Nagito snapped to attention. “Oh! Yes, this place will do.”

He walked over and bent next to the fruit bushes, careful not to disturb the butterflies as he pushed his way in. “Let’s see…”

Hinata’s voice rang out behind him. He walked over to him, hands outstretched as if he was expecting something to jump out. “Oi, is it really okay for you to just stick your hand in? What if something bites you?”

“Well, I can’t deny that possibility.” Nagito rummaged further until he pulled out what he was looking for: crisp golden leaves that shimmered metallically in the light. “But I know we’re in the right place. And I have you to thank for it, actually.”

Hinata sounded puzzled. “Me? Why? I didn’t do anything.”

“Maybe not directly.” Nagito stowed away the aurum leaves in his apron pocket. “But just by you being with me, you change things. How do I describe it? I mentioned that my innate magic isn’t anything special, but I think it has to do a lot with luck.”

“You _think?_ Luck?” Hinata shook his head. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Nagito stood and stretched out his back. “Yes, luck. It’s an odd magic, to the point where I don’t really consider it magic at all.”

“That’s because it isn’t?” Hinata’s voice was incredulous.

“I know, it sounds far fetched.” Nagito’s laugh rattled in his throat. “I feel the same way about it as you do, Hinata-kun. But I swear I’m telling the truth. I guess you could say that I have different karma compared to other people.”

“You could say that about anyone,” Hinata protested. “I still don’t see how I had any part in this.”

Nagito looked at Hinata strangely. “Really? What else could have led me to you?” “The fact that I bumped into you? Or that people often commission you and that it’s my job as a courier to deliver them to you?”

“Even before that. When Souda-kun took on his apprenticeship, what made your boss reassign you to my area?”

Hinata just stared. “Komaeda, I don’t understand where you’re going with this. It just sounds like you’re talking about probability or variables, not luck.”

Nagito’s heart briefly sped up. “Well, what if I told you I believe that I felt that you’re similar to me? Your presence alone is enough to change what happens around you. I wasn’t expecting to find such a large quantity of aurum leaves so soon, yet here I am.”

From the way Hinata stood with his arms crossed, it was clear he wasn’t buying any of it. “Well, if you and I are both so lucky, then this randomly-changing forest should change right now and show us the exit.”

In the moments following their conversation, nothing changed. Nagito felt a bit of guilt seep into him. He really did it now—he talked too much and put too many of his weird thoughts out into the open, including the expectation that they’d be able to leave so quickly. He really should’ve let Hinata stay behind. Even though he was fortunate enough to find all those aurum leaves so quickly thanks to Hinata, it looked like their lucky streak was running out.

Then all of the sudden their surroundings rippled. Nagito could hear Hinata curse loudly beside him as the sunlight and butterflies disappeared, replaced by a path identical to the one they entered the forest on.

“No fucking way,” Hinata said. He marched out of the forest, leaving Nagito to trail behind him.

“Hinata-kun?”

“This is definitely a coincidence,” Hinata muttered to himself, “there’s no way I could’ve caused this.” 

The pace at which he walked outside the forest was a clear indication of his agitation, something that puzzled and worried Nagito a fair bit. Nagito walked faster to match him.

“I think you should have some more faith in yourself.” Nagito began mildly, feeling that his remark might not be received well. “But whether you did or not, I felt better when you accompanied me. It’s been a while since I’ve had a casual outing like this.”

Finally Hinata’s long strides shortened into a more relaxed gait. “Has it?” 

Nagito said, “yes. I’m usually too occupied with orders to go out much, so this was a nice change of scenery. Even if it was just for work.”

For a short few moments, Hinata didn’t speak any further. Then he went, “I’m… glad it was good for you. The scenery _was_ pretty nice, though I don’t know what I’d do if things got dangerous.”

Nagito thought about the various magical creatures, venomous plants, and hazardous terrain he encountered in the past. He decided not to elaborate upon those experiences, for Hinata’s sake. After all, Hinata must be worn out from their little excursion, if his earlier cursing was anything to go by.

“I’m glad nothing bad happened,” Nagito said, and left things at that. 

Together they walked in silence back to his shop. Maybe something changed in him after he looked at Hinata under the sun in the forest, but as they walked, Nagito felt completely at ease around him. Before, Nagito wasn’t sure what it was about Hinata that made him want to fill the silence between them with idle chatter. Now, Nagito was perfectly content with just matching his stride to Hinata’s in silence. He suspected it was the silence that close friends had, a comfortable one in which both parties knew what the other was thinking without the need to exchange words.

But that was unrealistic, wasn’t it? They were still strangers to each other, and Nagito wasn’t arrogant enough to pretend he knew Hinata’s innermost thoughts and feelings. Yet Nagito felt they weren’t complete strangers anymore either. He never went out to get ingredients with another person before, and he suspected that Hinata had never seen magic work in the way it did in the forest. In a way, their shared experience brought them closer together, even if just by a little bit. 

There was also the way Nagito’s chest tightened when he thought about the distance that was still between them. The desire to get closer to another person was, in itself, an unusual experience; he never felt this towards others, not even Souda, whom he saw on a regular basis. In just a few conversations (and one preternatural experience), Hinata had become something like a friend.

Of course, it wasn’t as if Nagito would voice these thoughts aloud. But he did walk with a slight spring in his step as they walked into the front door of the shop, bell jingling as it opened.

When they went in, Nagito parted the curtain that separated the front of his shop from the back. He turned to Hinata and said, “wait there a moment, please. I just need to add these leaves and then they’ll be done.”

He went to his work bench and pulled out several bottles, all filled with a differently colored liquid within. From his apron pocket he removed the aurum leaves that he collected and added small flakes to each. The effect of adding them was instant; as soon as they touched each liquid, they fizzled and dissolved. The golden luster present in the leaves melted and spread throughout all the potions, making them scatter the light in shimmery rays. 

Satisfied with the result, he brought them back into the storefront. There he began to wrap each of them in paper, humming while he worked. His fingers moved deftly, tying them off with string and marking them with his insignia.

“You seem cheery,” Hinata observed.

“Do I?” Nagito asked distractedly, still preoccupied with his work.

Hinata had leaned over the counter, drumming his fingers against the wood. “Yeah. You’re really calm too, considering what happened. It’s almost weird.”

Being called weird was nothing new for Nagito, but hearing that from Hinata somehow felt different. Others meant it in a defensive or dismissive way, but not Hinata. 

“Almost?” Nagito echoed.

“Well,” Hinata began, looking like he was carefully choosing his words. But he seemed to think better of it and shook his head. “Nevermind. Point is, you’re an interesting figure. I’ve never met someone like you before.”

“I could say the same for you,” Nagito said. He passed over the wrapped bottles to Hinata. “Though you must be around boring people very often if you mean what you say.”

Hinata stowed them away in his bag with a dry few laughs. “No, it’s the opposite actually. I meet a lot of, uh, _colorful_ people in my work. Dealing with them all while trying to get my job done can get pretty stressful.”

“Is that so?” Nagito wondered if Hinata would ever venture the stories of colorful clients to him.

“Yeah. You’re a lot more relaxed in comparison.” Hinata brought out a bag of coins and some more papers and slid it over the counter. “Alright, that should do it. I’ll be back in a few days for the new orders.”

Nagito smiled. “I look forward to it. I’ll be waiting right here for you.”

“Yeah…” 

Maybe Nagito’s tone was too eager because Hinata gave him another one of his weird looks. Though this time he also had a half-smile that gave Nagito a tingling feeling in his chest the same way a catalyst added to a potion made it fizzle. Nagito pretended to fiddle with the new commission sheets as he watched Hinata leave again.

But in the middle of exiting through the door, Hinata turned and spoke. “It feels weird to say this, but I kind of enjoyed walking with you today.”

Hearing that, Nagito felt his heart rate spike a bit. A touch too eagerly he replied, “I enjoyed walking with you too! Though the forest was very beautiful, it would’ve been better if the marketplace was open today. It’s much less volatile than Evershift. And no venomous snakes, too.”

Nagito hadn’t intended to be funny, but Hinata let out a surprised laugh, as if he wasn’t expecting that answer. “That’s definitely a plus.”

And then he was gone, leaving Nagito standing and staring like an idiot at the door. The bell tinkled as the door shut, and then there was silence.

For some reason, Nagito had the sudden urge to rush out the door himself. And what would he do if he did? Stare at Hinata’s back as he left? Why would he need to do that? The more he thought about those questions, the more they multiplied and made his head spin. They mingled with the echoes of _your plants are pretty nice, you’re an interesting figure,_ and _I kind of enjoyed walking with you_ in his head, slowly eating at him. Like a leech slowly draining his blood, they worked at Nagito’s brain until he felt only his skull would remain. 

Never in his life had Nagito ever felt this irrationally towards another person. Something must have changed in Nagito during their time together in the forest. What was it? 

His mind conjured several images against his will. He saw the unremarkable face of a stranger, and felt the warm grasp of a hand extended in aid. He saw the weird glances thrown his way and heard the short, dry laughter of a skeptic. He saw shoulders sunlit and firm underneath his touch. He saw brown hair bathing in the sun’s rays, hazel eyes that shone like leaves steeped in gold.

There was a deep thudding in Nagito’s chest that made him feel out of breath. He clutched a shaky hand to it, feeling his heart beating wildly, pumping hot blood into his face until he felt flushed. When his legs began to feel weak, Nagito leaned back against the shelf, careful not to disturb the potion display there.

“No way,” he breathed, though there was nobody in the world who believed in his own words less than himself.

* * *

The next time Nagito saw Hinata after he realized he had a massive crush on him, Hinata looked noticeably worn out.

“Hinata-kun?” Nagito asked, concerned.

Speaking in a low and scratchy voice, he announced, “I’m here to pick up the new orders.” 

The way he hefted his bag over his shoulder made it seem like it was full of heavy stones. Nagito frowned.

“They’re ready, but you look rather unwell, Hinata-kun. Should you even be working right now?”

“I mean, I know I look like shit.” Hinata coughed a dry laugh. “But nobody else can work but me. I’m not even that sick.”

As he said that, he sneezed loudly once, twice, thrice. He ended his sneezing fit with a few sniffles. 

Nagito said, “I admire your ability to work even when you’re under the weather, but I really do think you’re pushing yourself too hard.”

Hinata was quiet for a moment, then shook his head. “Well, whether I’m pushing myself too hard or not, I’m still on the clock. Going home now will just mean that the time I spent getting here will just be a waste. So, are the orders ready or not?”

Nagito pursed his lips but otherwise said nothing. He merely retreated into the back of the shop for a second, retrieved the orders as well as an extra flask of silvery liquid, and passed things over to Hinata.

Hinata checked his list and rattled off the potion names under his breath. “Fire flower essence, Lovers’ Brew, draught of dream induction, and—” he paused, noticing the extra flask on the counter. It sat there innocently, contents still swirling a bit from when Nagito handled them.

“This wasn’t on the list,” Hinata said.

“It wasn’t,” Nagito agreed, “because it’s for you.”

Hinata scrutinized the bottle, eyebrows drawn low over his tired eyes. “Why me? What is it?”

“It’s a healing potion.” Nagito pushed it closer to Hinata. “Drink it, and you’ll start feeling better immediately.”

As expected, Hinata began to protest. He backed away and shook his head adamantly. “I didn’t bring any money. Shouldn’t you save this for one of your paying customers? Instead of just one sick guy you just met?”

“It’s just one potion from a dime a dozen witch,” Nagito insisted. “Besides, you’re not just some guy, Hinata-kun. You’re more than that to me.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Nagito felt heat crawl up into his face. He hadn’t meant to say it so blithely, but now all he could was live with it. At least he didn’t let slip some of his more embarrassing feelings of admiration. 

He hastily tried to gloss over his faux pas. “Come on, don’t be modest.”

As if Hinata didn’t hear him, he asked, “am I really?”

There was no getting out of answering. Hinata was just that sort of thorough person who left no stone unturned. Nagito averted his gaze for a second, unable to meet those piercing eyes of his. “Y-Yes.”

A beat of silence passed. Hinata’s expression was mostly unreadable, hand resting near his chin as if he was deep in thought. Nagito had the feeling he was being studied, and that Hinata was on the edge of a breakthrough but needed just the one last piece of evidence to complete his puzzle. Nagito, however, was very determined to not elaborate, as that would be bad for his heart and his sanity.

So more insistently, Nagito went, “so if you’ll kindly drink it…” 

“Okay, okay, I get it.”

Finally, Hinata accepted the flask, uncorked it, and lifted it to his mouth. In a few gulps the potion went down his throat. His lips parted from the flask with a small _pop_. Nagito tried not to stare at the motion and failed miserably. 

“So, how was it?” Nagito asked around the lump in his throat.

Hinata wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve. He seemed to breathe more clearly than before. “Tasted alright. I think I am feeling a bit better now, thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” Nagito hoped he didn’t sound too dreamy. “I can take the bottle back.”

As Nagito reached over the counter, Hinata held onto the bottle, another one of his half-smiles spreading across his face. “You know, you can be surprisingly pushy sometimes.”

Nagito blinked, retracting his hand. “Huh?”

“It’s not an insult,” Hinata said quickly, “just something I noticed. I pegged you as a mild kind of guy, but just now, you were really insistent that I drink this. I didn’t expect that from you.”

Hinata gestured with the bottle in his hand, making a motion to toss it. He gave Nagito a meaningful gaze, not breaking eye contact even as Nagito raised his hands to receive it. When he did throw the bottle, it sailed through the air and landed in Nagito’s arms with ease. 

It was such a simple gesture, and Nagito hoped he wasn’t reading into things too deeply and looking for things that weren’t there, but he felt what passed between them was an exchange resembling friendship.

Cautiously Nagito looked back up and gave a smile of his own. “Think of it as my way of saying thanks.”

Now it was Hinata’s turn to look bemused. “For what?” he asked.

“For coming with me the other day,” Nagito said. “I already said this, but I really enjoyed our outing.”

Hinata blew a puff of air from his nose that ended awkwardly with a few coughs into the crook of his elbow. Nagito interpreted that as a sign of amusement. “I’d say some parts were too weird for my liking, but… well, I liked a lot of it too.”

After he said that, Hinata swept the rest of the orders into his bag and did his usual exchange of new orders and payment. Nagito dutifully logged their exchanges in his pocketbook.

Hinata hefted his bag. “Well, I’m off.”

“See you,” Nagito said. “Make sure you rest when you get back home. It’d be bad if your cold got any worse.”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t worry about me.” Hinata waved him off as he left. “I’ll feel better soon anyway, thanks to your potion.”

Hinata’s parting words made warmth spread throughout Nagito’s body. For the rest of the day he hummed as he worked, feeling light as he handled his other patrons. Though a small voice kept whispering to him that his feelings would never be reciprocated, Hinata’s pleasant voice, complimenting and thanking him, played and replayed in Nagito’s brain and effectively drowned those whispers out.

* * *

A few days later on a rainy morning, Nagito was cleaning the shelves when the bell above the shop door tinkled cheerfully. Since it was right around Hinata’s usual pickup time, Nagito called out a greeting without looking up from his work.

“Good morning, Hinata-kun! Are you feeling better?”

A familiar voice answered him. “Yo, Komaeda. It’s me this time.”

But it wasn’t the familiar voice that made butterflies flutter in his stomach. Nagito turned and tried not to look visibly disappointed as Souda’s shockingly pink hair came into view. The trails of water he trekked onto the shop floor certainly didn’t help lift his mood.

“Ah, pardon me, Souda-kun. I thought you were completing your apprenticeship?”

It wasn’t as if Nagito hated Souda, not at all. Souda was a hard worker, especially when he was delivering commissions for Sonia and didn’t brush off Nagito on most days. But with Souda, the fact that they were merely business associates was clear as day. They weren’t friends outside work, and once Souda completed his apprenticeship, he would presumably work as an artillerist full-time. A skilled craftsman like himself had no reason to visit some tiny potion shop at the end of the road. And one little witch didn’t have any business seeking out the company of someone as talented as Souda.

Souda strolled up to the counter and startled rifling through his bag. “Some stuff came up, so I’m working again.”

“I see,” Nagito said. He wanted to ask when Souda would go back to his apprenticeship, but it would’ve looked like he was disappointed to see him. Instead Nagito went, “well, it’s good that you’re making some extra money in the meantime.”

“Yeah.” 

Their conversation ended there. Normally Nagito would say more, but for some reason, he couldn’t motivate himself to engage Souda in more idle chit chat. Perhaps the dreariness of the gray skies beyond his shop window made Nagito more apathetic. Whatever it was, neither he nor Souda seemed to have any desire to keep talking.

Thus they performed their routine exchange of goods in silence. And what an awkward silence it was; the sounds of rain pattering against the window, glass bottles scraping against the counter, and the occasional squelch of Souda’s boots as he shifted were the only sounds that filled the shop. Nagito didn’t dislike working, but the general atmosphere of the shop coupled with the disappointment of not seeing Hinata lulled him into a state of boredom that he couldn’t seem to shake. How was it that just a few hours spent with Hinata was infinitely more interesting than anything Nagito encountered in his life?

Surprisingly, it was Souda who broke the awkward silence between them.

“Man, what’s got you so gloomy? You’re usually a lot more talkative.”

“Hm?” Nagito asked, rousing out of his thoughts. “Oh, it’s just the weather. Rainy days like these make me a little lethargic.”

“Yeah, makes sense.” 

Souda took a glance at the delivery addresses. Then all of the sudden, he squealed like a little kid. “Actually, this is great! I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling extra pumped now! I haven’t been able to see Sonia-san since I left to do my apprenticeship, but now that I’m working again, I get to do a delivery for her!”

He pumped his fists wildly, scattering water droplets everywhere. “Do you think she missed seeing me? She missed me, didn’t she? That’s why she kept ordering things even when I was gone—she was waiting for me to come again!”

Souda whooped. “Wait for me, my princess! I’ll be there to rescue you from evil soon!”

Nagito smiled a bit. Though he was still disappointed that Hinata wasn’t there, Souda provided some relief from his boredom. “Sounds like it. Why else would she order stuff from just a little witch like me?” 

He checked his pocketbook, scanning over her previous orders. “Not only that, but she didn’t buy any Pest Repellant with her other orders when Hinata-kun was doing the deliveries. I wonder if that means she managed to get the infestation at her place under control.”

Souda scratched the back of his head. “Yeah, she must have. The entrance to her place always reeked of the stuff when I came, but I never saw any insects crawling around.”

Nagito closed his pocketbook with a snap, beaming. “So even mediocre stuff made by me worked! I hope the poison immunity potions and the Lovers’ Brew she ordered performs to her standards as well.”

“L-Lovers’ Brew?” Suddenly Souda banged his fists on the counter. “You mean, like a love potion? You never told me you can make stuff like that! Come on, you have to give me some!” Nagito raised his hands in surrender with a nervous laugh. “Sorry, sorry. I don’t have any in stock right now, and it takes a long time to brew to boot.”

Seeing Souda about to object, he added, “besides, things won’t work with you if she already drank it with another party. It’s a little exclusive like that. It seems you’re out of luck, Souda-kun. My condolences.”

“What kind of rules are those?!” Souda pulled at his hair in frustration. “Don’t tell me she’s seeing someone else! Is it that stupid overlord guy who’s always there with her when I come? Or was Hinata trying to pull something funny while I was gone?”

Nagito didn’t know who Souda meant by ‘that stupid overlord guy’ but hearing Hinata’s name made his heart feel tight. For a moment Nagito believed Souda—if Sonia was suddenly enamored with Hinata, then drinking the Lovers’ Brew with him would be within the realm of possibility. Nagito had only seen Sonia a handful of times, but she was very beautiful indeed. If Hinata found her attractive… 

For a moment Nagito felt something flare within his chest, a chemical reaction that left him seeing green. But just as quickly his brain kicked him. Though they hadn’t talked much about Hinata’s other clients, Hinata seemed a bit exasperated with extreme personalities. And he hardly batted an eye when he went to deliver the Lovers’ Brew the last time he was here. If he was meant to be its recipient, he should’ve seemed at least a little excited, right? 

Then there was the matter of the actual brew in question. If Nagito recalled correctly, then it worked only when… 

Before he could finish his thought, Souda’s ranting yanked Nagito out of his head. “Gah! Forget it! I gotta go check on her and stop her from drinking it with that bastard!”

Souda turned on his heel and bolted for the exit. The bell jingled wildly as he flung the door open. It shut with an unceremonious _bang,_ and then Nagito was alone in his shop. 

Rain continued to drum dully against the shop’s roof. Had it not been for the puddles on the floor, then Nagito would’ve thought that the past few minutes hadn’t transpired and that this day was just one of many gray days without anything of note. But since they were there, he had to clean it up. With a sigh, Nagito went to the back to retrieve a mop.

Just as he was about to return to the shopfront, though, the thought that Souda had interrupted earlier sprang back into his mind: there was no such thing as a true love potion. That was one of the first things he learned in school. What people called love potions only caused feelings of obsession bordering on mania, which more often destroyed relationships than deepened them. Others were love potions in name only; the Lovers’ Brew in particular was only meant to be a celebratory potion to be drunk with significant others, not unlike a fancy wine or champagne. It didn’t _create_ love. It only was a _sign_ of it. 

Nagito chuckled to himself. He had told Souda he was out of luck when he said he didn’t have any Lovers’ Brew in stock, but since it wasn’t an actual love potion, maybe Souda still had a chance. It was a slim one, given that it seemed Sonia was interested in another person despite (or perhaps because) of Souda’s attempts to woo her, but the possibility was still there. 

So if even Souda had a chance, did Nagito have one too?

It was a foolish thought. There were many reasons why Hinata wouldn’t return his feelings, more than the amount of raindrops that fell from the sky. Yet as Nagito sponged up the water in his shop, pushing it and swirling it around until it dried, he couldn’t get the notion out of his head.

* * *

The few days that Hinata didn’t come to the shop turned into weeks. Nagito should’ve let go of his crush the moment Souda said he’d be working in his area again, yet thoughts of conversations they could share, outings they could go on, and a million other _what ifs_ refused to leave his head. Nagito couldn’t do anything without something reminding him of Hinata. Foraging in Evershift Forest was the biggest one, so Nagito tried to look for ingredients downtown. But walking to downtown meant rounding the corner where they fatefully crashed together the day they first met. Even tending to his potted herbs, once a relaxing pastime for him, made his head spin with a single compliment of ‘ _your plants are pretty nice’_ that spiraled into other compliments that Nagito wanted to hear in Hinata’s voice.

Simply put, absence made Nagito’s heart grow fonder, but it was also completely _killing him._

What frustrated him to no end was that he still didn’t know _anything_ about Hinata. What did he do outside work? What were his favorite haunts? Where could Nagito find him? Nagito wished he hadn’t blabbered about his whole backstory when they went into the forest together because it left Hinata with hardly an opportunity to talk about himself. 

Worst of all, there was a small, selfish voice in Nagito’s head that he fought to suppress for asking things like _why hasn’t he visited us?_ Again, there were a million reasons why Hinata didn’t come back—work, having other people in his life to care about, Nagito’s rudeness, Nagito’s inability to be normal, Nagito’s tendency to ramble over the smallest things—the list went on. 

Illogical, pointless, weird. Those were three words that Nagito used to describe himself. Someone like him could never hope to keep people near him for long. That’s why Hinata, a person so kind enough to help a clumsy, troublesome witch like Nagito, wouldn’t bother wasting his time to come back.

Nagito should just let go of his stupid crush. That way, his heart wouldn’t race maddeningly every time he heard the bell above the door jingle, just as it did now while he was in the middle of sorting things out in the back. The shop was due to close in five minutes, so unless the customer needed something he already had in stock, Nagito wouldn’t be able to brew anything in time.

From behind the curtains, Nagito called out a tired, “sorry, I’m closing soon. I won’t be able to help you today.”

The voice Nagito heard made him freeze in his tracks. “Oh, I’m not here for business. I was wondering if you were free after you closed, actually.”

Nagito could hardly hear himself over his dizzying heartbeat. Still bent over a crate of ingredients, he asked, “Hinata-kun?”

“Yeah, it’s me. But if it’s a bad time, then I can come another day—”

Nagito hurriedly sprang to his feet. 

“No need!” he cried.

Like a mouse scurrying out of a snake’s den, Nagito nearly tripped over himself trying to get into the storefront. Then in his haste, his foot caught onto something and he tripped for real. He got a flash of something like déjà vu; Hinata yelled out a ‘hey!” as Nagito hurtled towards the ground. Only this time, things seemed to happen in slow motion. Before Nagito could somersault onto the floor, solid arms went around him and stopped him from falling further. His vision went dark.

Hinata’s voice was some parts bewildered and some parts an emotion Nagito couldn’t quite place. “What was _that?_ ”

Nagito was about to reply with _a spectacular accident only I could achieve_ when he took note of the position he was in. Suspended by his armpits in a manner almost like a hug, Nagito felt soft fabric against his face. The faint smell of soap tickled his nose. And when he blinked, he became all too aware of the rising and falling motion of a person breathing against his face.

With mounting horror Nagito realized he had just planted himself face-first into Hinata’s chest like some romantic trope. Nagito desperately tried not to scream as Hinata spoke again.

“Seriously, what was that? You would’ve broken your jaw if I didn’t catch you.”

Nagito felt the arms around him begin to move, and then he was being hauled up to his feet the way a kitten gets picked up by the scruff of its neck. He wobbled, disoriented, until Hinata steadied him with a firm hand to his shoulder.

“Are… you okay?” Hinata asked. He sounded worried, as if Nagito had actually fallen and gotten concussed.

Nagito did his best to plaster on a normal smile. He tried not to think about how warm his face was. “Ahaha, yes. Just feeling some vertigo.”

Vertigo, and the sensation like his blood was about to evaporate from his body. Nagito laughed some more. How truly hopeless he was, becoming such a bumbling mess from Hinata’s presence alone. And that didn’t even take into consideration the effect Hinata’s touch had on him. 

Speaking of touches, Hinata’s hand was still on his shoulder from when he steadied him. Nagito was about to point out that Hinata needn’t trouble himself touching him when Hinata let go of him as if he was burned. Hinata cleared his throat.

“Vertigo!” he said loudly. “Yeah, I’ll say. That must have been some vertigo you felt there. Yeah.”

Nagito blinked. Perhaps it was because the sun was beginning to set, pink and orange hues streaming in from his shop’s window, but Hinata was looking rather rosy. Could he be...?

“Are you sick, Hinata-kun?”

“What?” Hinata asked, sounding oddly... defensive? “What makes you think I’m sick?”

Baffled at his reaction, Nagito ventured hesitantly, “you were sick the last time you were here. I guess that means my potion didn’t work… as expected from a lowly witch like me.”

“No! No, I—” Hinata put a hand to his head— “hold on, I need to start over.”

He took a deep breath. “I came here because the potion worked, so I don’t get what you’re saying. It’s just, it’s not true.”

“I—I see,” Nagito said simply. “So, then why are you here, if you don’t need more?”

“Didn’t I already ask you? I wanted to know if you were free after you closed. There’s an event going on in the marketplace and I wanted to know if you wanted to go.”

Nagito blinked. What was happening right now was a scene straight from his daydreams: Hinata showing up at his door, Hinata helping him even as he made a fool of himself, Hinata offering to take him somewhere to spend time with him. But this couldn’t really be happening, could it? Could he accept?

Unable to answer those questions, Nagito defaulted to caution. No use in assuming he knew what Hinata’s intentions were. “I would be free.”

Then, because he couldn’t resist, “forgive me if I’m being presumptuous, but would that mean we’re going together?”

Hinata gave him his signature half-smile. It was embarrassing how much Nagito missed it. 

“What, you think I came here just to tell you that and then abandon you?”

The little voice that Nagito thought he had under wraps sprang out of him. “Well, it _has_ been a long time since you’ve been here.”

The way Hinata’s smile fell off his face made Nagito want to sink into the ground. Why did he have to say that?

“That’s… I can explain it to you, but first, I want to know if that’s a yes.”

There was no way Nagito could refuse, not after all that. “It is. Though I’m surprised as to why you still want to see me, after all the unsightly things I’ve done.”

Hinata shook his head. “Again, I don’t really know what you’re talking about. You’re kind of a strange guy, Komaeda.”

“Huh?” Nagito asked.

“Nevermind, forget I said that.” 

Strangely, the corners of his mouth had quirked back up again. Before Nagito could wonder about it, Hinata gestured towards the door. 

“Anyways, let’s go before it gets dark.”

At Hinata’s urging, all Nagito could do was quickly untie his apron and follow him out. He tried to ignore the way his heart hammered in his chest as he thought about all the ways he has screwed up and will screw up around Hinata. 

But somehow, walking side by side with him calmed his nerves a bit. If Hinata was kind enough to invite him out, then he might also be kind enough to overlook any other faux pas Nagito could make.

The bell jingled cheerfully behind them as they left.

**Author's Note:**

> writing hinakoma is just  
> \- choose wrong dialogue option  
> \- choose wrong dialogue option  
> \- ambiguously gay conversation  
> \- choose wrong dialogue option
> 
> also, whoever decided that witch = girl and wizard = boy sucks, witches are magical doctors. no more gender, we have progressed past the need for gender


End file.
